Liquid spreader devices



June 28, 1966 M. M. ZENNIE LIQUID SPREADER DEVICES 5 Sheets$heet 1 FiledJuly 27, 1964 fllmlllllfllllllllmllllllllllllllllllllllll INVENTORMICHAEL MAURICE ZENNIE WifW June 28, 1966 M. M. ZENNRE LIQUID SPREADERDEVICES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 2'7, 1964 INVENIOR MICHAEL MAURICEZENNIE BY JW 4 I ATTORNEY June 28, 1966 M. M. ZENNIE 3,257,753

LIQUID SPREADER DEVICES Filed July 27, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 um WIMP T33 MNHWUR MICHAEL MAURICE ZENNIE ATT R Y United States Patent 3,257,753LIQUHD SPREADER DEVICES Michael Maurice Zennie, 1274 Morten Ave.,Cincinnati, Ohio Filed July 27, 1964, Ser. No. 385,300 13 Claims. (Cl.471.5)

My invention relates to that type of devices used to spread liquid weedkillers, insecticides and fertilizers for lawns. It is of the type thatmay be attached to a lawn mower to spread the liquid simultaneouslywhile mowing the lawn or it can be utilized separately from a lawn mowerto spread the liquid.

It is an object of my invention to provide a liquid spreader that isdetachable and rotatably secured to a lawn mower whereby the liquid isspread uniformly over a mowed area of lawn simultaneously while mowingthe lawn.

. Another object of my invention is to provide a liquid spreader thatwill insure a uniform deposit of the liquid over an area of lawnsimultaneously while mowing the lawn even though the spreader be at anangle to the path of the mower.

A further object is to provide a liquid spreader having a contact rotaryspreader which automatically adjusts itself to the contour of the lawnwhile applying the liquid to the lawn to insure equal distribution ofthe liquid on the area of lawn being treated with the liquid.

Another object is to provide a liquid spreader that can be operatedindependently of a lawn mower to spread liquids uniformly over an areaof lawn to treat the lawn with weed killer, insecticide and/0rfertilizer.

Generally it is an object of my invention to provide a spreader forliquid weed killer, insecticide and/0r fertilizer that is a completeunit operable independently or in combination with a lawn mower whilemowing a lawn. The spreader contains a rotary distributing element thatautomatically adjusts itself to the contour of the lawn thereby insuringa uniform application to the area being treated with the liquid.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects of my invention areaccomplished will readily be understood from the ensuing specificationsupon reference to the drawings forming part of this application in whichthe same indicia indicate similar parts.

. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a rotary type lawn mower with myspreader removably attached.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of my spreader removably attached to arotary type mower.

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section in elevation through my spreadertaken on line 3'-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation partially in section through my spreadertaken on line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary section in elevation showing a ball valve andfloat control taken on line 55 of FIGURE 10.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary section in elevation of a valve controlbetween a reservoir and ball valve chambers.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation showing my spreader attached to a reel typelawn mower.

FIGURE 8 is a plan View showing part of a reel type lawn mower togetherwith brackets to attach my spreader to the mower.

FIGURE 9 is a side elevation of my spreader detached from a mower andattached to a handle to operate it independently and separately from amower.

FIGURE 10 is a plan view with part of my spreader in section taken online 1ll-10 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 11 is a View in elevation of my segmented spreader roll.

FIGURE 12 is a view in elevation showing how my segmented rollerautomatically adjusts to the contour of the lawn.

FIGURE 13 is a perspective of two segments of spreader roll and shaftindicating an enlarged hole in relation to the shaft for intermediatesection of the roll.

FIGURE 14 is a plan view of a ball valve and cage means for keeping theball in proper position.

FIGURE 15 is a side elevation of a segment of the roller in contact withthe ground showing how a cushion on its perimeter flattens to spreadliquid.

Referring to FIGURES l, 2, 7, 9 and 10 there is illustrated a tankhousing 1 for a liquid reservoir 2 having a removable cap 3 for afilling hole in its top. A threaded valve stem 4 is threaded forrotatably mounting in a bonnet 5 that is secured to the top of the tank.Secured to the valve stem there is a handle 6 to rotate a tapered valve7 to and from its valve seat 8 at the top of an.

opening 10 through which the liquid from the reservoir is admitted intoa longitudinal encased channel 9. At the bottom of the opening 10 thereis a mesh 11 that acts as a strainer to prevent non-soluble foreignmatter from flowing from the reservoir into the longitudinal channel.Spaced within the longitudinal channel there are a multiple of ballvalves 12 that close ports 13 which allows the liquid to flow from thelongitudinal channel intoa multiple of separated compartments 14 havingsolid partition walls 15 to keep the liquid from flowing across and intocommunication between the compartments thereby confining the liquid in acertain compartment when the spreader is tilted because of the slope ofthe ground. The valves also prevent excess pressure from the bulk ofliquid in the tank into the compartments 14. The level of the liquid ineach of the compartmentsis separately controlled by hollow floats 16secured to rocking levers 17 that are pivotally mounted in brackets 18fixed on the housing of the longitudinal channel 9. An end 19 of thelevers 17 has a hooked end 29 that extends through the ports 13 and thishooked end lifts the ball valves 12 when the level of the liquid in anycompartment permits its ball float to drop down. When the liquid reachesa determined level in a compartment the float will rise and the contactbetween the hooked end and ball valve will be broken thereby allowingthe ball valve to close the ports and stop the liquid from flowing fromthe longitudinal'channel into the respective compartments. In each ofthe compartments there are bowed plates 21 that have a line of seepageholes 22 which allows the liquid to pass from the compartments andsaturate layers of sheet fabric 23 such as nylon'that is superimposed ontop of cotton fibre pads 24. The bowed plates are held securely down onthe fabric by angular hooked rails 25. The liquid is evenly distributedand uniformly saturates the fabric and pads. A bristle brush 26 extendsacross the width of a spreader roller 27. While I have illustrated abrush any flexible absorbent wiper can be used. A head 28 of the brushis fixed in a bottom 29 of the housing. A multiple of holes 3% throughthe head of the brush allows the liquid to seep from the cotton fibrepads to the bristles of the brush and the liquid is thereby uniformlydeposited on the spreader roller that during rotation deposits theliquid onto the lawn.

Each of the compartments 14 have vent holes 31 to prevent air locking ofthe liquid and allow it to seep uniformly and gradually from and intothe compartments 14. These vents will also act as an indicator if a ballvalve for a particular compartment is not functioning in that thecompartment when flooded will cause liquid to flow out of the vent. I

While I have illustrated in FIGURES 11 and 12 a preferred segmentedroller it is not intended to limit myself to this type since in practiceit was found that a solid roller as illustrated in FIGURE 3 workssatisfactorily. The preferred type of roller is divided into separatedsegments 32 rotatable independently each to the other on a shaft 33 thatis fixed in bearing brackets 34 that are fixedly secured on the housing.In addition to the segments there are end rollers 35 which are smallerin diameter than the segments 32. These end rollers 35 have bores 36 toallow them to have a rolling fit on the shaft 33 while the segments haveenlarged bores 37 in relation to the shaft 33 to allow them to raise upand down in relation to the shaft and end rollers. The difference in thediameters of the rollers and the bores in relation to the shaft providesan automatic flexible means to allow the roller to adjust itself to thevariations of the contoured surface of the lawn being treated asillustrated in FIG- URE 12. Outer perimeters of the rollers have apadded compressible surface of sponge rubber 38 and the like. Uponcontact with the lawn the padded surface will developa rolling flatcontact as illustrated in FIGURE 15 thereby insuring positive deposit ofliquid on the lawn.

Secured to the housing there is a bracket 39 having a resilient coiledspring 40 secured to it which provides a flexible connection between thespreader and lawn mower to allow the spreader to tilt relative to themower when the contour of lawn under the mower is different than thecontour of the lawn under the spreader roller. The spring is ofsuflicient flexible rigidity to keep the spreader in working relation tothe mower. This insures that the roller will always remain in contactwith the lawn being treated even through the mower is at an angle to thespreader. On an opposite end 41 secured to the spring there is aU-shaped socket 42 which has a rotatable wing bolt 43 to detachablyclamp the spreader on a rear frame 44 of a rotary mower as shown inFIGURE 2.

In FIGURE 9 there is illustrated a handle 45 secured in a boss 46 thatis fixed on a plate 47 adapted to be removably secured in the U bracket.With this arrangement my spreader can be used independently andseparately of a mower.

Referring to FIGURES 7 and 8 there is illustrated how my spreader isattached to the reel type mower. Secured to the usual roller brackets 48of a reel type mower 49 is a detachable span bar 50 reaching across therear of the mower and having socket-s 51 at each end. In the socketsthere are wing clamp bolts 52 to secure the spanner bar to the mowerbrackets 48. After the spanner bar 50 is secured on the mower it issecured in the U socket 42 by means of the wing bolt 43 therebyconnecting the spreader to the reel type mower.

After attaching my spreader to a mower to operate it to spread liquidweed killer, insecticide or fertilizer simultaneously while mowing alawn the liquid is poured into the reservoir. If desired the valve '7may be left open when initially filling the reservoir with the liquid toallow the compartments to fill up and cause the floats to close the ballvalves. The liquid will flow from the reservoir into the longitudinalchannel and then through the ball valves into the various compartments.When the liquid reaches a certain level in the compartments each of thefloats will automatically allow the ball valves to close and stop theliquid from flowing. The liquid flows through the holes 22 -in bowedplates 21 and saturates the fabric and cotton fibres. From the saturatedfibres the liquid will flow through the holes in the head of the brushand the bristles of the brush will be supplied with liquid. The bristlesare tangent to the roller slightly below the top of the roller to insurethat the roller will be free to roll. As the spreader moves forward theliquid on the roller will be transferred to the lawn uniformly. Sincethe roller has a resilient compressible cover there will be a rollingflat in contact with the lawn which is further assurance of uniformspreading of the liquid. Since my roller is segmented the roller adjustsitself to any deviations due to depressions or knobs in the lawn contourbecause a segment passing over a depression will drop down into thedepression while a segment passing over a knob will rise resulting fromthe oversized holes in them. Since the end rollers are smaller indiameter and the segments have enlarged holes the amount of movement upor down by the segments is increased to the extent that the differencein the diameter plus the enlargement of the hole is relative to theradius from the center of the shaft to the uppermost or lowest positionof the segments in either position.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. A liquid spreading device comprising a tank providing a reservoir forliquids connected to a distributing channel, valve control means forsaid liquids intermediate said reservoir and distributing channel, amultiple of valves spaced in said channel to control the flow of liquids'into a series of compartments adjacent to said channel, float means insaid compartments adapted to operate said valves in said distributingchannel, means to transmit said liquids from said compartments to awiper, and a roller to transfer said liquids from said wiper to asurface upon which said liquid is spread.

2. A liquid spreading device as in claim 1, said spreading deviceadapted to be attached by removable means to a lawn mower to spread saidliquid simultaneously while mowing a lawn with said lawn mower.

3. A liquid spreading device as in claim 2, said removable means havinga semi-rigid resilient helical spring adapted to allow tilting of saidspreader in relation to said mower while spreading said liquidsimultaneously during the mowing of the lawn.

4. A liquid spreading device as in claim 1, said valves in said channelcomprising solid balls confined from displacement and rod means actuatedby said floats according to the level of the liquid in said compartmentsto raise said balls to permit the flow of liquid from the said channelinto said compartments.

5. A liquid spreading device as in claim 1, said means to transfer saidliquid from said compartments being laminated pads of woven materialsand layers of fibres.

6. A liquid spreading device as in claim 1, said means to transfer saidliquid from said compartments being laminated pads of woven materialsand layers of fibres and a plate secured atop said laminated pads havingholes through which said liquid flows to saturate said laminated pads.

7. A liquid spreading device as in claim 1, said roller having acompressible surface adapted to flatten on contact with said surfaceupon which said liquid is spread.

8. A liquid spreading device as in claim 1, said roller having amultiple of sections and said sections being rotatable separately eachto the other.

9. A liquid spreading device as in claim 1, said roller having amultiple of sections with resilient compressible surface covering andsaid sections being rotatable separately each to the other, end sectionsof said roller being smaller in diameter than the sections between theend rollers, said sections between said end sections having enlargedbearing holes to allow said in-between sections to raise and lowerthemselves in relation to each other.

10. A liquid spreading device as in claim 1, said spreading devicehaving a semi-rigid helical coil spring secured to it and a socketsecured to an end of said coil spring to provide a means for detachablysecuring said spreader to a rotary mower.

11. A liquid spreading device as in claim 1, said spreading devicehaving one end of a flexible rotatable means secured to it and aU-channel secured to another end of said flexible rotatable means saidU-channel providing a means for securing said spreader to means to movesaid spreader over an area to which said liquid is to be applied.

12. A liquid spreading device comprising, a distributing channel, liquidsupply means for supplying said liquid to said distributing channel,valve control means for said liquid intermediate said liquid supplymeans and distributing channel, a multiple of valves spaced in saidchannel to control the flow of said liquid, a series of compartmentsadjacent to said channel and communicating therewith, float means insaid compartments adapted to operate said valves in said distributingchannel, means to transmit said liquid from said compartments and awiper and a roller to transfer said liquid from said compartments to asurface upon which said liquid is spread.

13. A liquid spreading device comprising, a mixing tank for liquids, achamber connected to said mixing tank,

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1962 Ewing47l.5 10/1964 Cravener 15575 ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

R. E. BAGWILL, Assistant Examiner.

1. A LIQUID SPREADING DEVICE COMPRISING A TANK PROVIDING A RESERVOIR FORLIQUIDS CONNECTED TO A DISTRIBUTING CHANNEL, VALVE CONTROL MEANS FORSAID LIQUIDS INTERMEDIATE SAID RESERVOIR AND DISTRIBUTING CHANNEL, AMULTIPLE OF VALVES SPACED IN SAID CHANNEL TO CONTROL THE FLOW OF LIQUIDSINTO A SERIES OF COMPARTMENTS ADJACENT TO SAID CHANNEL, FLOAT MEANS INSAID COMPARTMENTS ADAPTED TO OPERATE SAID VALVES IN SAID DISTRIBUTINGCHANNEL, MEANS TO TRANSMIT SAID LIQUIDS FROM SAID COMPARTMENTS TO AWIPER,